Looking Back - Reminiscing with Jack Lebo

Looking Back At The Scandals Of Hollywood, Van Johnson & More Barbara Daniels of Secane, PA always come through with some unusual topics. This time, she has dug up some scandals which made headlines many years ago, mainly originating from La La Land, a/k/a Hollywood, California. According to Barbara: there were dozens of Hollywood scandals in the 1950s that shocked and mesmerized the nation. One shocker occurred on the day that the prominent actor John Barrymore passed on. As a prank, several friends of Errol Flynn decided to steal the body, and sit it up in a chair in Flynn’s living room. When Flynn entered the room, he nearly had a heart attack, but later claimed that this gruesome prank caused him to give up drinking instantly. Then there was comedic actor Foster Brooks, whose hilarious performances as a drunk were so convincing, that the public could not tell if it was an act at all. In 1951, a Hollywood film titled, “The Moon is Blue” was released, and promptly banned and criticized due to the dialog included the word “virgin.” It was then considered disgraceful and indecent. Movie-goers were in an uproar for months afterward. Another shocking scandal which was highly publicized was known as “The Wrong Door Raid.” It seems that baseball great Joe DiMaggio recruited singer/actor Frank Sinatra to help break down the door of a motel room where he suspected Marilyn Monroe was having an affair. They were shamefully embarrassed when they kicked in the door of the wrong room number only to discover a sleeping elderly woman, who later took them both to court and settled for a hefty amount of money. Another court case that received even more coverage than the O.J. Simpson trial was that of popular film star Lana Turner, whose lover Johnny Stampanato was stabbed to death in her bedroom. It was unclear who committed the act, but at the trial, it was determined to be her daughter, then a 14 year-old teenager. This trial fascinated the public for months. An unexpected event occurred in Italy in 1959 with the sudden passing of Philadelphia opera and film star Mario Lanza. The rumor that made the rounds was that Mario was assassinated because he had refused to perform for the so-called Italian Mafia. Following an intense investigation, the issue was never proven. According to Barbara: “The most juiciest tidbit of all is the one that I personally experienced. In the early 1960s, I attended a dinner-theatre show in Philadelphia starring Zsa Zsa Gabor, who was known for her affection for the male sex. During her two-week engagement with the show, she was interviewed by a young handsome local television reporter. She instantly became enamored with him, and pursued him openly, but he managed to resist her charms in a most gentlemanly manner.” Continued Barbara: “Discretion prevents me from revealing his name. However, I will say that he is still employed as an anchor man on that local TV station, some 40 years later.” Fueled by the public’s addiction to tabloid magazines, these scandals may be considered mild by today’s standards. * Readers Henry and Bobbi Schaffer of Bala Cynwyd, PA have kicked off a campaign addressed to the US Postal Service, requesting a postage stamp dedicated to their all-time film favorite, the late Van Johnson. They call their organization, “Keymates.” Apparently, according to the Schaffers, the group of admirers has grown by leaps and bounds, adding new members daily. Johnson was the nice-mannered nice guy on screen you wanted your daughter to marry. This fair freckled and invariable friendly-looking MGM song and dance star of the 1940s emerged a box office favorite (1944-1946) and was second only to heart-throb Frank Sinatra during which gossip-monger Hedda Hopper dubbed the “Bobby-Soxer Blitz” era. * The year 1941 certainly stands out in my mind, not only for the attack at Pearl Harbor, but for the popular music at that time. As a guy who collected 78 RPM records, I recall many of the best-selling recordings that were played via our local radio stations. Talk radio was unheard of, and most stations used the music format. It seems 1941 was the height of the Big Band Era. The bobby-soxers may have swooned over Frank Sinatra, but it was Tommy Dorsey’s name on the record. Ditto Bob Eberle whose silky smooth vocals with Helen O’Connell sold many a record — for Jimmy Dorsey. The musicians’ union strike was only a year away, but for 1941 the dance halls ruled, ballroom tickets were affordable, the great Depression was quickly becoming a memory, and the war was something the Europeans would have to figure out. Sinatra was Tommy Dorsey’s lead vocalist, backed by the Pied Pipers on at least 10 of his chart hits. The Pied Pipers were a quartet of three men and one woman, who happened to be Jo Stafford. Stafford’s first hit came in 1941, a song called “Yes Indeed” that she sang solo, along with an assist by Sy Oliver. With the eventual departure of Sinatra in 1942, Tommy turned to Dick Haymes for vocal leadership. A bit of trivia: a certain trumpet player joined Dorsey after his discharge following World War II. The kid was raw, but Dorsey saw something he liked. That trumpeter was Carl “Doc” Severinson. * Jimmy Dorsey ran something of a smoother ship in the early 1940s. He owned the #1 spot for 19 weeks out of 52 in 1941, a record that wouldn’t stand long — Glenn Miller eclipsed it just a year later. But don’t let that minimize Jimmy’s achievement in 1941; each of the five most popular songs spent at least a week on top of the charts. “Amapola” spent 10 weeks at number one, and is therefore one of the all-time “monster” chart toppers. Jimmy Dorsey’s hits featured a unique 3-part format. The “A-B-C” arrangement saw Bob Eberly lead the first third. The band led by Jimmy’s sax took the second part, and Helen O’Connell would finish it out with a flourish. As the average playing time of a commercial 78 RPM record was three minutes, each “section” lasted about one minute. It was an unstoppable formula in 1941. * One of the few vocalists not tied to a Big Band in 1941 was Dinah Shore. Although Jo Stafford had a solo hit, and Billie Holiday was regarded as a solo act, both toured as part of larger orchestras. Considering that the Andrews Sisters were a group, it is generally believed, although not easy to verify, that Dinah Shore was the first female pop star to “call her own shots” if you will. Although later stars like Doris Day and Patti Page would eclipse Dinah on the charts, none would eclipse her ability to perfectly hit each note. * Looking Back appears each month. Do you have a memory you’d like to share? Drop a line to: Jack Lebo, Looking Back, 37 Locust Lane, Levittown, PA 19054, or call (215) 943-8870, email: jacklebo@verizon.net.

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